The present invention relates to a locking means for a trunk in an automobile. More specifically, the invention relates to an improvement in a locking means for a trunk in an automobile of a type which can open the lock by the actuation of a first switch to energize an electric circuit including an actuator means for opening the lock and prevent the opening of the lock by any other person against the will of the proprietor of the automobile by the actuation of a second switch.
Conventionally, there has been known a locking means which is opened by the actuation of a switch provided at a proper location in a passenger room of an automobile to energize an actuator means such as solenoid, motor or the like. The locking means of this type is advantageous in that the lock is opened only by the operation of the switch which is provided in the passenger room of the automobile, however, it has a defect in that the trunk is not effectively prevented from being opened against the will of the proprietor of the automobile by any other person.
In view of such defect, there has also been known a means of a type to provide another switch in an electric circuit including the first mentioned switch, the actuator means for opening the lock and a D.C. power source and set the second mentioned switch at a proper location in the passenger room of the automobile, thereby preventing the opening of the trunk against the will of the proprietor of the automobile. In the means of this type, there has been proposed a system to provide the second switch in a glove compartment or a system to actuate the second switch by the rotation in the direction for locking of a key inserted in a key cylinder of the lid for glove compartment. In these systems, however, when the proprietor of the automobile who gets out of the automobile and stores or takes out the luggages or the like in the trunk and then the proprietor wants to actuate the second switch so as to prevent the opening of the trunk against the will of the proprietor by any other person, there occurs an inconvenience in that the proprietor must return to the passenger room in the automobile to actuate the second switch. In addition, there is such disadvantage in the latter system that the cost becomes high since the glove compartment must have a lid of a locking type.